Referee Remains Defiant


Monrovia-August 1, 2006
By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.

A national referee, Francis Wah has vowed that he would not respond to an ultimatum ordering him to retract statements made recently.
In his comments, Referee Wah frowned against the way activities of referees are being handled.

Wah, who was ordered to withdraw his statement, has reacted by vehemently refusing to do so.

He then reaffirmed his allegations that games are given to only those referees favored by the power that be. Wah has stated that he is standing his grounds about criticism thrown against the leadership of the Liberia Football Referees Association (LIFRA) with a vow to further express his grievances until his concerns are addressed.

Wah was reportedly given a three-day ultimatum by the Chief Referee of Liberia, Exodus Flanjay to retract his statement at the end of a meeting of the Referees Association.

Among concerns he wants the association to address are the reconstitution of the Executive Committee and that assignments be given on the basis of status and experience but not on the basis of partisanship.

He declared that: “until these conditions are met, I will continue to oppose the doings of the present leadership.

“They are telling me not to go to the press but many of them have been using the press. For example, Stanley Konah did the same thing when he was removed from the list.

“Why shouldn’t I go to the press? Is it because I am exposing them?
“Maybe they might think because Sylvester Rennie did not win, that is why I am saying this.”

Notwithstanding, Wah said his critical comments against the leadership is a result of what he termed as “the habit they have developed to sideline certain people who they believe were against them, while preference is given to those that were for them.”

Wah said, “This is not proper and it is a bad administrative practice that has the propensity to deepen our already fragile relationship.”
Wah clarified that he has no personal problem with any member of the Executive Committee but that the issue if not brought to the attention of people who are supposed to know, then LIFRA would continue to be run as it was done in the past.

He promised that the LIFRA Board and the Referee Standing Committee would be informed if situation fails to improve.

Wah further alleged that county referees get senior games while some national referees are assigned to second division games by the Executive Committee of the Liberia Football Referees Association (LIFRA).

He claimed that 90 percent of the LIFRA Executive Committee comprises “partisans” of the ruling class, while those international referees considered being against them are in the minority.

According to the aggrieved referee, the affairs of the association are being allegedly run by Stanley Konah, former Deputy Chief Referee, who is a senior follower of LIFRA President Idrissa Kaba.

Wah termed the current Chief Referee, Exodus Flanjay, as a ceremonial head. “Because of the affairs of running the active referees, he (Stanley Konah) insulted me in the presence of all the referees for expressing my views in the paper,” Wah stated.

He plans to take to Referee Konah to task at the appropriate time.






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